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Monday, April 20, 2015

Cakes have come a LONG ways. Today, you can customize a cake to fit every occasion or personality. From your favorite sports team to you favorite hobby - you can even get a cake that resembles your favorite pet. The possibilities are limitless!

I'm no stranger to being on cakes. When my humans got married, I was on their groom's cake.

At that time, I still had my puppy coat of hair that was long and shaggy. Do you see me, I'm to the left of the tent.

Over the weekend my mom turned 30 and she was surprised with a gorgeous purple cake. The theme included her favorite color AND her favorite thing - ME! This wonderful cake was made by Custom Cake Creations of Mankato. Not only does it feature me, but also my two favorite past times, treats and a tennis ball!

Thursday, April 16, 2015

This past fall I won a pair of tickets for the spring Junk Bonanza here in Minnesota. Well, it wasn't really me, but my mom used my accounts to enter for a chance to win, and guess what, she won! Since it is my mom's 30th Birthday on Saturday I'm considering this her early present from me.

When people hear the work "Junk" most people think of rusty, old, useless stuff. But, if you look beyond the surface you can find purpose in these old items.

For example, using an old mason jar or an old flour container for treat jars. My humans turned two old wire baskets into a small toy basket or a place to hold my tools. And my favorite, is an old bowl as a water dish.

Last year my mom picked up a new toy box for me. As you can tell it is able to hold all my toys, with room for more.

Now, what uses could my mom find for this antique, metal bed pan??? Possibilities are endless!!!

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

My mom has been looking and looking for Goldendoodle socks. Yes, I know, she is a nerd, but she wants to sport her favorite breed all around. A couple of years ago she went to a sock store and settled on a pair of Poodle socks and a pair of Golden Retriever socks. Then, she would mix one from each set and presto she had her Goldendoodle socks. The best part, she had two pairs.

Then, a couple of months ago she came across actual Goldendoodle sock. One was with a Golden, Goldendoodle and the other one was a White, Goldendoodle. Now, she walks with a spring in her step! BOL!!

Do you have a favorite item that reminds you of your favorite dog breed? Are you humans as silly as mine are?

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

I first want to start off with the importance of rescuing dogs instead of purchasing them from a breeder. There are so many good dogs out there waiting for good homes. I feel - since the mixing Poodles with other breeds such as Golden Retrievers, Labs, Cooker Spaniels, etc has become so popular - more puppy mills are taking advantage and capitalizing on this demand. You can find amazing dogs (as well as other animals) from shelters and rescue organizations. How do I know? I'm one of them! I'm a rescue dog from an amazing organization called RAGOM (Retrieve a Golden of Minnesota).

So please Adopt don't Shop.

First, lets start by looking at the two breeds individually:

Golden Retriever

Originated: England and Scotland

Best known for their hunting

Golden Retrievers come in three colors

Dark Gold, Gold, and Light Gold

Great Behavioral Skills and Personality for:

Children

Other Pets

Time Alone

Training

Field Trials, Hunting, Obedience, and Guide Dogs/Service Dogs

Large in Size

Medium Energy

Goldens are a very active breed. Goldens are a active and energetic and need daily exercise.

Care Required:

Grooming

Goldens have a water-repellent double-coat that sheds seasonally. They require regular brushing.

Poodles don't shed which makes their coat hypoallergenic; it may reduce allergic reactions.

5 of my litter mates and me!

Now we are going to look at the two breeds combined or - as they are commonly called - Goldendoodles. Goldendoodles are not a breed of by itself but, rather, a hybrid (basically a mixture of two purebred dogs).

Please refer to this chart.

Parent

Parent

Result

F1 (first generation)

100% Golden Retriever

100% Poodle

50:50 split of attributes, some pups in the litter will shed while others won’t.

F1-B

F1 Goldendoodle

100% Poodle

25:75 split of attributes

F2

F1 Goldendoodle

F1 Goldendoodle

50:50 split of attributes

F3

F2 Goldendoodle

F2 Goldendoodle

50:50 split of attributes

Multi-generation

F3 + Goldendoodle

F3+ Goldendoodle

Etc. etc.

First Generation

First Generation (F1) Goldendoodles have one parent which is 100% Golden Retriever while the other parent is 100% Poodle. In my case, my mom was a Golden Retriever and my dad was a Standard Poodle. F1 doodles split the attributes of their parents 50:50. Most of the F1 Goldendoodles either don't shed or shed lightly.

First Generation Backcross

First Generation Backcross (F1-B) is where you mix a F1 Goldendoodle with a 100% Poodle. These dogs have a higher success rate for non-shedding.

Second Generation

Second Generation (F2) is where you mix two F1 together.

Multi-generation

Here you mix together Third Generation (F3) or higher (F3+) with a F3 or F3+.

Myth: Goldendoodles don't shed.

Fact: F1 Goldendoodles CAN shed. Half of my litter mates shed. It all depends if they get more of the "shedding" attribute from the Golden or the Poodle.

Standard - 45 pounds or more (some have grown to more than 100 pounds)

Medium - 30-45 pounds

Miniature - 15-30 pounds

Characteristics

Adaptable to family, kids, pets, strangers, and weather changes

Trainable, Intelligent, Playful, and Loyal

Energy Level is high so daily exercise is recommended as well as mental stimulation

Most of them have hypoallergenic coat which may reduce allergic reactions

Grooming is a must

Whether you keep their coat at a manageable length or allow their coat to be longer and more natural looking they both will require lots of brushing. You are looking at brushing anywhere from once a week to once a day.

Expensive

Professional Groomer - If you decide to pay a professional groomer to manage your Goldendoodles coat, you are looking, on average, $50-$150 per trip. However, they can also clip the nails and clean the ears during that time as well.

Personal Grooming - If you choose to groom your Goldendoodle yourself, it can be cheaper. However, you have to take into consideration the cost of the supplies and your time because it is time consuming.

May suffer from separation anxiety if left for long periods at a time.

Goldendoodles also make great therapy dogs.

I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I had writing it. Remember, every dog is unique and different in their own way.

If you have any questions, please leave me a comment and I will try my best to answer them.

In a bowl mix together 1/2 cup of white glue and a couple of squirts of brown paint. Start with less, you can always add more paint to achieve the color desired.

In the other bowl mix 1 teaspoon of borax powder with 1/2 cup of warm water. Stir until mixture is dissolved.

While stirring, combine the borax mixture to you glue/paint mixture. This will immediately start to thicken and become jelly like.

Use your hands to knead the mixture for a minute until it leaves the sides of the bowl clean.

Roll the new mixture into a ball then roll into a sausage shape while tapering one of the ends to a point and curl into a "poop" like shape.

And let the pranking begin!!!

You can leave a "surprise" on the floor, in a bed, or on the front step for someone. Or can place it on a plate in the fridge with at notes stating "Stool Sample Collected on 4-1-15!"

Are you planning any good pranks today? Would love to hear about them!!!

*Please note that these are not edible, please supervise you pet and/or your children at all times if you are going to leave these out as a prank. Although I didn't have any problems with this creations, there is a potential for them to stain fabric or carpet.